Inspiring Professors Inspire Students

An article by University of Scranton accounting professors has won a prestigious Institute of Management Accountants’ Lybrand Gold Medal as the “outstanding article of the year” for 2019, marking the fourth medal, and second gold medal, to be awarded to professors at Scranton in just six years. The manuscript recognized was “Beyond Internal Controls: The Need for Behavioral Assessment and Modification in Fraud Mitigation Efforts,” by professors Douglas M. Boyle, D.B.A., James Boyle, D.B.A., and Daniel Mahoney, Ph.D., which was published in the fall 2018 edition of ManagementAccounting Quarterly.

The Lybrand Competition considers for awards all manuscripts published during the year in the Institute of Management Accountants’ (IMA)Strategic Finance and Management Accounting Quarterly journals, both of which are rated among the top five practitioner journals.

In 2016, the article “The Continuing Saga of Goodwill Accounting,” by Dr. Douglas Boyle, Dr. Mahoney and Brian Carpenter, Ph.D., received IMA’s Lybrand Gold Medal. In 2014, the article “New Rules for Lessee Accounting: A Summary of the Lessee Provisions of Accounting Standards Update” by the three professors received IMA’s Lybrand Bronze Medal, and in 2015, the manuscript “Operation Broken Gate: The SEC Holding Gatekeepers Accountable” by Drs. Douglas and James Boyle, Dr. Carpenter and Dr. Mahoney received the IMA’s Lybrand Silver Medal.

In addition to the medals, manuscripts entitled “The SEC Whistleblower Program Expands Focus: Retaliatory Behavior, Confidentiality Agreements, and Compliance Personnel” by Drs. Douglas and James Boyle and Dr. Carpenter and “Goodwill Impairment Adequacy: Perspectives of Accounting Professionals” by Dr. Douglas Boyle, Dr. Carpenter, and Dr. Daniel Mahoney received 2016 Lybrand Certificates of Merit. Finally, manuscripts titled “Avoiding the Fraud Mind-set” by Drs. Douglas Boyle and James Boyle and Dr. Mahoney and “Goodwill Accounting: A Closer Examination of the Matter of Nonimpairments” by Dr. Douglas Boyle, Dr. Carpenter and Dr. Mahoney received Lybrand Certificates in 2015 and 2012, respectively.

A Certified Public Accountant as well as a Certified Management Accountant, Dr. Boyle has more than 25 years of industry executive experience. An award-winning teacher, Dr. Boyle was profiled in 2019 as one of just six “Professors to Know in Business Programs Based in the Northeast” selected by Bschools.org, an online resource for entrepreneurs. Dr. Boyle earned a bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, an MBA from Columbia University and a doctorate from Kennesaw State University.

Dr. Boyle’s research has been published in numerous academic and practitioner journals, such as The Journal of Accounting and Public Policy (JAPP), Accounting Horizons, Current Issues in Auditing, The Journal of Accounting Education, The Accounting Educators’ Journal, The Journal of Accountancy, Strategic Finance, Fraud Magazine, Internal Auditor, Management Accounting Quarterly, The CPA Journal, Internal Auditing, The Journal of Applied Business Research and The Journal of Business and Behavioral Sciences.

An award-winning teacher and scholar, Dr. Mahoney earned a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from The University of Scranton as well as a doctorate in accounting from Syracuse University. A Certified Public Accountant, he was named Kania School of Management’s Professor of the Year five times and has won numerous other awards for teaching.

Dr. Mahoney’s research has been published in numerous professional journals, such as The CPA Journal, Internal Auditor, Management Accounting Quarterly and Journal of Business and Economics Research,Accounting and Financial Management.

Dr. James Boyle holds a bachelor’s and MBA from The University of Scranton and a DBA from Kennesaw State University. He has taught part-time at the University since 2009 and full-time since 2012 and also served as an internal auditor for the University for more than a decade. He has published articles in multiple academic journals, including The CPA Journal, Strategic Finance, The Journal of Forensic and Investigative Accounting and Internal Auditing.

Distinguished Faculty Members Recognized

Eleven University of Scranton faculty members were honored recently with Provost Faculty Enhancement awards for excellence in teaching, scholarship or service. The Office of the Provost and the Provost Advisory Group selected the recipients from a pool of candidates nominated by academic deans and department chairs.

The following award recipients teach graduate courses:

Douglas Boyle, D.B.A., received the Faculty Senate Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award, which recognizes a faculty member who demonstrates dedication to teaching graduate students in a manner that creates an encouraging and intellectually stimulating environment that promotes critical thinking and learning. Dr. Boyle, associate professor and chair of the Accounting Department, joined the faculty at the University in 2009. He earned his bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, his master’s degree from Columbia University and his D.B.A. from Kennesaw State University.

Marian Farrell, Ph.D., received the Excellence for University Service and Leadership Award, which recognizes faculty members who have contributed service to the University community, particularly those who demonstrate academic leadership by effectively mentoring their junior colleagues. Dr. Farrell, professor of nursing, joined the faculty at Scranton in 1990. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from College Misericordia, a second master’s degree from Syracuse University and her Ph.D. from Adelphia University.

Oliver Morgan, Ph.D., received the Excellence in Adapting Classic Principles of Jesuit Pedagogy into the Curriculum: Magis Award. Dr. Morgan, professor of counseling and human services, joined the faculty at Scranton in 1990. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Fordham University, his master’s degree from Hahnemann Medical University and his Master of Divinity degree from Weston School of Theology, and his Ph.D. from Boston University.

DBA professor discusses marketing to millennials in NEPA Business Journal

Originally published in the NEPA Business Journal by Dave Gardener on June 5, 2019.

Abhijit Roy, DBA, professor of management, marketing and entrepreneurship at the University of Scranton, explained that big bucks are at stake in the drive to sell to millennials. According to data collected by the renowned Pew Research Center, millennials have now become the largest buying group in the United States, with about 73 million millennials now present, and the number increasing to 80 million by 2050.

According to Roy, to understand the spending of the generation, you have to realize that most of them with a post-high school education are carrying heavy educational debt. This is creating consequences within their purchasing abilities and delaying the acquisition of big “stuff” such as a home purchase or getting married.

“In addition, overall incomes have not been rising,” said Roy. “Something with this pattern has to give within a decade.”

Roy cited how various studies have looked at the behaviors of the millennials, and established that as a group they are less confident then their generational predecessors and possess lower self-esteem. In addition, as part of America’s “trophy generation” they may have unrealistic expectations about their ability to accomplish, initially expect an “A” on every scholastic exam, and wind up with a wake-up call when they find collegiate success takes a focused effort.

The digital economy is also embedded within their blood, and the millennials therefore exhibit strong spending on a regular basis for high-tech products.

“Almost every year there’s a new wave of tech products that they have to have, and they will spend with consistency for these,” said Roy.

According to Roy, when it comes to hard-core recreational spending, it must be understood that personal depression rates within the millennials are relatively high. He believes many of their buying habits have to do with attempts to alleviate this depression, and they will use their digital presence to project a positive face to peers.

“We can also expect that the millennials will evolve as they mature and the world changes around them,” said Roy. “They will eventually buy homes, but before this can happen there generally has to be a debt pay-down.”

We Are Redefining Business Education

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) recognized The University of Scranton’s Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program for “Innovations and Best Practices in Canada, Latin America and the United States.” Just 43 colleges from the two continents were included in the just-released publication that recognizes the “impactful ways” AACSB member schools are redefining business education.

AACSB recognized Scranton for providing a non-traditional research DBA in accounting that “promotes diversity and practice relevance by providing a flexible path for experienced practitioners to gain the knowledge and credentials required to succeed in tenure-track positions at AACSB-accredited institutions.”

The University developed its DBA program in accounting in response to the pending shortage of accounting faculty and The Pathways Commission on Accounting Higher Education of the American Accounting Association (AAA) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) call to develop more flexible, non-traditional tracks to an accounting doctorate for experienced practitioners. AACSB also has recognized this need.

Several Scranton accounting faculty members researched and published several manuscripts in top-tier journals examining the national challenge as part of their research to develop the DBA program at the University.

The University’s DBA program in accounting, launched in the fall of 2017, was developed specifically to provide experienced practitioners with a practical, flexible pathway to an academic career, while still providing for the development of the knowledge and skill set necessary to become a “scholarly academic,” that is one who is most qualified to serve in a tenure-track position at a school of business that possesses or is seeking formal accreditation by AACSB International.

Douglas M. Boyle, DBA, associate professor, accounting department chair, and DBA program director at Scranton said the innovative doctorate program provides a flexible structure and practice relevance, in addition to training for teaching excellence.

“First, the program has a single concentration in accounting. This innovation enables the program participants to engage earlier and more deeply in research in the accounting discipline, thus better preparing them to publish in quality journals,” said Dr. Boyle. “Second, the program follows a cohort model and is delivered in a flexible manner through monthly on campus residencies, allowing participants to retain their professional positions and practice relevance. Third, the program includes faculty from Scranton and nationally recognized scholars from other AACSB institutions, serving as program advisors in the dissertation process. In addition to extensive coursework in business literature, theory and methods, the program also includes courses in the academic governance, teaching excellence, Jesuit pedagogy and applied research to address practice relevance.”

According to Dr. Boyle the DBA’s first three cohorts of 35 doctoral candidates represent a very diverse group of professionals with extensive practice experience. The majority of the candidates are female and over 20 percent represent individuals of color.

“This diversity far exceeds that of population of tenured faculty and senior accounting leaders in practice,” said Dr. Boyle. He also said the initial scholarly outcomes for the DBA students have included numerous conference presentations, proceeding and peer-reviewed publications, with several candidates already having published manuscripts in the top five practice journals.